Some of us computer scientists were sitting around, bored, and decided
to nudge the Earth towards the Sun. It'd be convenient if it would
hit within our lifetime, so we could finish at least one project on
time and under budget in our lifetimes!

I'm not a physicist, nor did I take enough math or physics to figure
this out, so would like your help.

My guessing says we have to slow the Earth's rotation so that its
gravitational acceleration to the Sun overtakes it's angular momentum,
allowing us to smack into the big one.

How much force is required to slow us down enough so that the big
splashdown is within 50 years?

Thanks much

It would tale a lot less energy for the Earth to leave the solar system
than to have it fall into the sun. Bert

"Grok" wrote in message
...
Some of us computer scientists were sitting around, bored, and decided
to nudge the Earth towards the Sun. It'd be convenient if it would
hit within our lifetime, so we could finish at least one project on
time and under budget in our lifetimes!

I'm not a physicist, nor did I take enough math or physics to figure
this out, so would like your help.

My guessing says we have to slow the Earth's rotation so that its
gravitational acceleration to the Sun overtakes it's angular momentum,
allowing us to smack into the big one.

How much force is required to slow us down enough so that the big
splashdown is within 50 years?

I don't think slowing the Earth's rotation would help much.

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 15:19:11 -0700, "Richard Henry"
wrote:


"Grok" wrote in message
.. .
Some of us computer scientists were sitting around, bored, and decided
to nudge the Earth towards the Sun. It'd be convenient if it would
hit within our lifetime, so we could finish at least one project on
time and under budget in our lifetimes!

I'm not a physicist, nor did I take enough math or physics to figure
this out, so would like your help.

My guessing says we have to slow the Earth's rotation so that its
gravitational acceleration to the Sun overtakes it's angular momentum,
allowing us to smack into the big one.

How much force is required to slow us down enough so that the big
splashdown is within 50 years?

I don't think slowing the Earth's rotation would help much.




IANAP, but if our distance to the sun were the same while our rotation
around the sun were reduced, it seems like the gravitational force
would no longer be in balance with the centrifugal force. I apologize
if I'm messing up your terms. This is supposed to be a fun thing
though, so suggest something useful!

Grok wrote:

Some of us computer scientists were sitting around, bored, and decided
to nudge the Earth towards the Sun. It'd be convenient if it would
hit within our lifetime, so we could finish at least one project on
time and under budget in our lifetimes!

I'm not a physicist, nor did I take enough math or physics to figure
this out, so would like your help.

My guessing says we have to slow the Earth's rotation so that its
gravitational acceleration to the Sun overtakes it's angular momentum,
allowing us to smack into the big one.

How much force is required to slow us down enough so that the big
splashdown is within 50 years?

Boy, are you ever muddled. The Earth masses 5.9742x10^27 grams. Its
average orbital acceleration around the sun (at 1 AU or 499.004782
light-seconds) is 0.593008 cm/sec^2. Stop it cold in its orbit, F=ma,
and it falls into the sun nice as you please. Was that so hard? Go
figure out how long a non-orbiting Earth requires to fall from here to
the sun and get back to us with your calculations,

http://www.math.ubc.ca/~israel/m215/.../falling2.html

Before you do the experiment you might want to calculate the
perpedicular area (watch that cos(theta)) to which the force is
applied (thereby getting pressure) vs. the crush strength of granite
and basalt.

--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" The Net!

"DarkMatter" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 15:19:11 -0700, "Richard Henry"
Gave us:

I don't think slowing the Earth's rotation would help much.



Not for the fifty year thing, but it would certainly achieve more
motion toward the sun, Less centripetal force, yet the same
attractive force. You do the math. Pretty simple ****.

You'd best first get the terms straight so that you
know that everyone's talking about the same thing.

Rotation: The Earth rotates daily on its axis.
Revolution: The Earth revolves once per year around
the Sun.

Now, what is it that slowing the Earth's rotation
is supposed to accomplish?

(G=EMC^2 Glazier) wrote in message ...
It would tale a lot less energy for the Earth to leave the solar system
than to have it fall into the sun. Bert
--------------
moreover
since the sun is going one day to explode(dont wort not tomorow)
it will be much more 'useful' to think
how to get it much further away
rather to fall into it .
all the best
Y.porat
-----------------

In sci.physics, Grok

wrote
on Thu, 11 Sep 2003 17:07:40 -0400
:
Some of us computer scientists were sitting around, bored, and decided
to nudge the Earth towards the Sun. It'd be convenient if it would
hit within our lifetime, so we could finish at least one project on
time and under budget in our lifetimes!

I'm not a physicist, nor did I take enough math or physics to figure
this out, so would like your help.

My guessing says we have to slow the Earth's rotation so that its
gravitational acceleration to the Sun overtakes it's angular momentum,
allowing us to smack into the big one.

How much force is required to slow us down enough so that the big
splashdown is within 50 years?

Mass of Earth is 5.976 * 10^24 kg.
50 years = 50 * 365.2422 * 86400 seconds = 1577846304 seconds
Velocity of Earth is 30 km/s.
Momentum of Earth is 30,000 m/s * 5.976 * 10^24 kg = 1.793 * 10^29 kg-m/s.

Force = momentum/duration = 1.793 * 10^29 kg-m/s / 1577846304 s
= 1.136 * 10^20 Newtons.

How one generates that force is an interesting issue. I don't know
what your budget is. :-)


Thanks much



--
#191,
It's still legal to go .sigless.

"DarkMatter" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 15:19:11 -0700, "Richard Henry"
Gave us:

I don't think slowing the Earth's rotation would help much.



Not for the fifty year thing, but it would certainly achieve more
motion toward the sun, Less centripetal force, yet the same
attractive force. You do the math. Pretty simple ****.

????

Grok wrote in message . ..
Some of us computer scientists were sitting around, bored, and decided
to nudge the Earth towards the Sun. It'd be convenient if it would
hit within our lifetime, so we could finish at least one project on
time and under budget in our lifetimes!

I'm not a physicist, nor did I take enough math or physics to figure
this out, so would like your help.

My guessing says we have to slow the Earth's rotation so that its
gravitational acceleration to the Sun overtakes it's angular momentum,
allowing us to smack into the big one.

How much force is required to slow us down enough so that the big
splashdown is within 50 years?

All you have to do is change the orbit, by timing the
thrusts, to a highly elliptical one (think "comet") with
a closest approach that is within the sun's "atmosphere".
I'm assuming your customer would accept any form of
total fiery destruction, and doesn't require you to
actually plunge into the center of the sun.

- Randy